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Sat 13, Aug 2011

Homeopathy treats alopecia areata effectively

Homeopathy treats alopecia areata effectively

Dhiraj (31) presented with alopecia areata, an auto-immune disorder, in which the body attacks its own hair roots, causing hair loss in patches. He reported that he first noticed a tiny patch in his beard, two years ago. He ignored it, thinking that it was allergy. When his hair loss worsened and spread rapidly to his scalp, he visited a local doctor and began to take conventional treatment. But the results were disappointing.

When we analysed his case in detail, we felt that Dhiraj, a happy-go-lucky person, was “under the weather.” For a MBA, his self-confidence was in a shambles. To overcome his gloom, Dhiraj had begun to take refuge in alcohol. Based on his emotional symptoms, we put him on the homeopathic remedy, Lycopodium. Following six months of treatment, Dhiraj not only regained his lost hair and self-assurance, he also gave up his alcohol fixation.

Alopecia areata, or loss of hair in patches, can affect any hair-bearing area of the body, although the disorder is linked primarily to patchy hair loss on the scalp. The disorder affects people of all ages. In some cases, it can extend to the eyebrows, eyelashes and facial hair, including the beard and moustache. It can, likewise, progress rapidly, leading to a complete loss of scalp hair, or limit itself to unrelenting patches of baldness all through life.

Alopecia areata is easy to diagnose, but is not as straightforward to treat. Homeopathy is best positioned to treat the disorder from the “root” and not from the outside alone. To confirm diagnosis, your homeopathic doctor, who is specialised in trichology — the science of scalp and hair — will conduct certain tests, such as the hair pull test. This is done to detect, or rule out trichotillomania, or pulling hair out on purpose, or to diagnose telogen effluvium, or sudden stress-related hair loss.

The homeopathic remedy, Natrum Muriaticum, for instance, is useful when there is easy falling out of hair, when touched or combed. Carbo Vegetabilis is useful for hair loss after child-birth. Sepia is useful for hair loss after chronic headaches. Vinca Minor is, likewise, effective for hair loss with foul-smelling, itchy eruptions on the scalp.